Privacy Policy for Vibe Coding Award
Effective Date: August 18, 2025
Last Updated: August 18, 2025
Introduction
Welcome to Vibe Coding Award. This Privacy Policy outlines our commitment to protecting the privacy of our users. Vibe Coding Award (“we,” “us,” or “our”) processes personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and the Italian Codice in materia di protezione dei dati personali (Legislative Decree no. 196/2003, as amended, the “Privacy Code”).
This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, and how we keep it secure. It also details your rights in relation to your personal data. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
1. Data Controller
The Data Controller is the legal entity responsible for determining the purposes and means of the processing of your personal data.
The Data Controller for the Vibe Coding Award website and services is:
Vibe Coding Award
Italy
For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us at the following dedicated email address: privacy@vibecodingaward.com.
2. Personal Data We Process
We collect and process different types of personal data to provide and improve our services. The data we process can be categorized as follows:
Data Provided Directly by You:
This is information you voluntarily provide to us when you interact with our services. This may include:
- Identity and Contact Data: Your full name and email address when you create an account or contact us.
- Submission Data: Any information, code, project files, descriptions, and other content you submit as part of an entry to the Vibe Coding Award.
- Voting Data: Your votes cast for the People’s Choice Award.
- Communication Data: The content of your communications with us, for example, when you request support or make an inquiry.
Usage Data (Collected Automatically):
This is information collected automatically when you browse our website. This data is primarily collected through cookies and similar technologies, such as Google Analytics. This may include:
- Technical Information: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address (which is processed by our service providers but not stored by Google Analytics 4), browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, and platform.
- Interaction Information: Information about your visit, including the pages you visited, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data.
- Identifiers: Unique online identifiers, such as cookie IDs and client IDs, which help us distinguish unique users across browsing sessions.
3. Purposes and Legal Basis for Processing
We only process your personal data when we have a valid legal basis to do so under Article 6 of the GDPR. The following table details our processing activities and the corresponding legal bases.
| Processing Activity | Type of Data Processed | Legal Basis for Processing |
|---|---|---|
| To create and manage your user account. | Identity and Contact Data | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Processing is necessary to fulfill our obligations under our Terms of Service. |
| To process and evaluate your award submissions. | Identity and Contact Data, Submission Data | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Processing is necessary to manage the award competition as described in our Terms of Service. |
| To operate the People’s Choice Award voting system. | Identity Data (to link vote to user), Voting Data | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Participation in voting is part of the service offered under the Terms. |
| To communicate with you about your account or submissions. | Identity and Contact Data | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Necessary for administrative or service-related communications. |
| To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support. | Identity and Contact Data, Communication Data | Legitimate Interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): Our legitimate interest in providing effective support and responding to user requests. |
| To analyze website traffic and improve our services. | Usage Data (e.g., cookie IDs, interaction information) | Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): We will only process this data if you have given your explicit, prior consent through our cookie consent banner. |
| To ensure the security and integrity of our platform. | Usage Data, Identity and Contact Data | Legitimate Interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): Our legitimate interest in protecting our services from fraud, abuse, and security threats. |
| To comply with legal obligations. | All relevant data categories | Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR): Processing may be necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or court orders. |
4. Data Recipients and Third-Party Processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may, however, share your data with trusted third-party service providers who act as “Data Processors” on our behalf. These providers are contractually bound to process your data only on our instructions and to implement robust security measures. We only use processors who provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures in such a manner that processing will meet the requirements of the GDPR.
The following table lists our key subprocessors:
| Subprocessor Name | Purpose of Processing | Country of Data Storage & Transfer Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Google, LLC | Website analytics and user statistics. | USA. Transfer is based on the European Commission’s adequacy decision for the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, under which Google, LLC is certified. |
| SiteGround | Website and database hosting. | European Economic Area (EEA). Data is stored on servers located within the EU. |
| Brevo | Transactional and marketing email delivery. | France (EEA). Data is primarily processed within the EU. Some subprocessors may be in the USA, with transfers covered by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. |
5. International Data Transfers
Your personal data may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), where data protection laws may differ.
Specifically, our use of Google Analytics involves the transfer of personal data to the United States. We ensure that such transfers are conducted in full compliance with Chapter V of the GDPR. The legal basis for this transfer is the European Commission’s adequacy decision of July 10, 2023, regarding the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Google, LLC is certified under this framework, which ensures that it provides a level of data protection comparable to that of the EU.
We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
6. Data Retention
We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, as set out in this Privacy Policy. The specific retention periods are as follows:
- User Account Data: We will retain data associated with your account for as long as your account remains active. If you close your account, we may retain some information for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., for financial or tax records) or to resolve disputes.
- Analytics Data: The retention of data collected for analytics purposes is controlled by the settings within our Google Analytics account and the expiration of the associated cookies. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for specific cookie expiration times.
- Communication Data: Data from your inquiries will be retained for as long as necessary to resolve your query and for a limited period for internal record-keeping.
7. Your Data Protection Rights
Under the GDPR and the Italian Privacy Code, you have a number of rights concerning your personal data. We are committed to upholding these rights. You have:
- The Right of Access (Article 15 GDPR): You have the right to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we process it.
- The Right to Rectification (Article 16 GDPR): You have the right to have any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you corrected.
- The Right to Erasure (‘Right to be Forgotten’) (Article 17 GDPR): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, under certain conditions (e.g., if the data is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected).
- The Right to Restriction of Processing (Article 18 GDPR): You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain circumstances (e.g., if you contest the accuracy of the data).
- The Right to Data Portability (Article 20 GDPR): You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and the right to transmit that data to another controller.
- The Right to Object (Article 21 GDPR): You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is based on our legitimate interests.
- The Right to Withdraw Consent (Article 7 GDPR): Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@vibecodingaward.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests to ensure the security of your data.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement. The Italian supervisory authority is the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali.
8. Data Security
We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access. These measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, access control procedures, and regular security assessments.
9. Children’s Privacy
Our Service is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.
10. Links to Other Websites
Our service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
Cookie Policy
What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed and stored on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies can be “first-party,” set by the website you are visiting (i.e., Vibe Coding Award), or “third-party,” set by a domain other than the one you are visiting (e.g., Google).
This policy also covers other similar tracking technologies, such as pixels or device fingerprinting, which function in a similar way. For simplicity, we will refer to all such technologies as “cookies.”
How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Technical Cookies (Strictly Necessary): These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our website and to provide the services you request. They enable core functionalities such as user authentication, session management, and security. Under Italian law, these cookies do not require your prior consent and are loaded by default. If you disable these cookies through your browser settings, you may not be able to use our website.
- Analytics Cookies: These cookies are used to collect statistical information in an aggregated form about how visitors use our website. They help us understand which pages are most popular, how users navigate the site, and how we can improve the user experience. We use Google Analytics for this purpose. In accordance with the guidelines from the Italian Garante, these cookies are considered non-technical and will only be installed on your device if you provide your explicit, prior consent through our cookie banner.
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have full control over your cookie preferences. When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner where you can:
- Accept All: Consent to the use of all cookies.
- Reject All: Decline consent for all non-technical cookies.
- Customize: Selectively consent to specific categories of cookies.
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time. An easily accessible link or icon will be available in the footer of our website, allowing you to re-open the consent management settings and update your choices.